To say that hummingbirds are unique in the avian world is an understatement. We’ll start with the physical attributes. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only hummingbird species native to Ohio, are small. Adults weigh less than an ounce with a body length between 3 and 3 ¾ inches. Their wingspan maxes out at 4 ¾ inches.
There are native insects with a bigger profile. They are a sort of olive colored back and wings, with a lighter belly. Males have a prominent red patch on their throat, hence the name.
Flight performance
Their flight statistics are anything but minuscule. They’ve been clocked as fast as 60 miles per hour, an extraordinary feat for such a small bird. They can also fly at 0 mph or even backward, actions exclusive in the bird world to hummingbirds. Their wing bones have a ball-and-socket construction that enables their wings to beat in a figure-eight pattern, fly in any direction, and make the distinctive humming sound that gives them their name.
When a primary part of your diet is flower nectar, it’s a very useful skill. It allows them to go quickly from plant to plant without landing.
In addition to short, quick flights, they have endurance. Each year, Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate solo between wintering grounds in Central America or Mexico and their summer places in the United States and Canada. They often follow the same routes previously taken and learned without parental guidance.
In an ordinary day, they easily cover 20+ miles. During migration, they might travel 500 miles at a time, sometimes over large expanses of water. The maintain an average speed of 20-30 mph and a heart rate of 1,260 beats a minute, requiring a lot of energy.
Because they are so small, and fast when they choose to be, they can be hard to see. If you aren’t in the midst of a flower garden, you might not be able to identify the blur that just went by. But because they hover when they feed, spying them mid-meal is much easier.
They also come readily to feeders where they offer great viewing and we can choose the site.
About that drink
When you’re as active as hummingbirds are, you need a lot of food. Putting feeders out is a great way to attract them and is not difficult. They’re attracted by color, and nearly any store-bought feeder will do. They don’t care how much you spend; making sure it’s easy to clean and fill should be a bigger priority.
Actually, starting small is a good idea. Nectar can last about a week in the summer, or just 2-3 days if it’s in direct sunlight. Starting with a smaller feeder increases the odds that they’ll consume it before it needs to be changed.
As for the nectar cocktail, it’s easy to make at home, literally a simple syrup. I use a ratio of 4:1 water to sugar. If you are really mathematically challenged, thats 1 cup of water to ¼ cup sugar. Increase the amounts correspondingly depending on your feeder capacity and needs. Bring it to a rapid boil for 4-5 minutes, then let it cool completely.
There’s no need to add coloring, they’ll be focused on the feeder portion, which typically has plenty of color.
Hang it in a shaded place you can easily see, but that’s not too exposed, and that they can fly to. They’ll find it. Also, make sure that raccoons can’t easily reach it. The end of a long limb extending away from the trunk has worked well for me, lessons learned.
Once they discover it, they’ll return again and again, year after year, as long as they find nectar. Hummingbirds can be aggressive towards their own kind around the feeders, heckling and chasing rivals away. If you’re near the feeder often, the chatter will become as recognizable as the whirring sound of their wings in motion.
Yes, we’re open
When to put the feeders up is another matter. You can guess and hang them in mid-April. You can check sites like hummingbirdcentral.com to see when migrating hummingbirds are returning. Or you can wait until you’re accosted by a thumb-sized creature returning from their trip and not finding their expected cocktail. Then you know for sure they’re ready for a drink.
It’s the neighborly thing to do.
Devin Meister is a local outdoors and wildlife enthusiast and has a blog called “Average Guy Outdoors.” He is an Ohio University graduate. Reach him at meister.devin@gmail.com.
RESOURCES
Migration tracker
https://www.hummingbirdcentral.com/hummingbird-migration-spring-2025-map.htm
Identification and facts
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/birds/ruby-throated-hummingbird
Where to put the feeder
About the Author
